Mrs. Bush's Remarks at National Awards for Museum and Library Service Ceremony
The East Room

3:00 P.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Welcome to the White House. There is perhaps no greater joy
for a librarian than to celebrate the contributions that libraries and
museums make in our lives. As a child, the Midland Public Library was
my favorite place to go. And spending time reading with my mother was
my favorite thing to do.

For me, and for many Americans, libraries and museums are centers of
learning in our communities. Along with our homes and our schools, they
provide the foundation for learning throughout our lives.

Today, we honor six exemplary learning institutions that have
strengthened the foundations of their community. I commend the Bozeman
Public Library, the Carnegie Science Center, the U.S.S. Constitution
Museum, the Pocahontas County Free Libraries, the San Angelo Museum of
Fine Arts and the Free Library of Philadelphia for enriching their
communities.

And I want to thank the sponsors of these awards for championing the
great work of museums and libraries. And thanks also to Dr. Bob Martin
and to all the members of the Institute of Museum and Library Services
for advancing the mission of America's great learning institutions.

President Bush and I are committed to strengthening America's
libraries and museums. In his 2005 budget, the President has proposed a
14 percent increase for IMLS. President Bush has also proposed an
increase of $12 million for the Library Grants Program, and over $3
million for the 21st Century Librarian Program. With this additional
funding, IMLS can continue to support museums and libraries and a
nation of lifelong learners. And supporting lifelong learning is the
ultimate goal of museums and libraries today.

Times have changed since I was a little girl in Midland, but the need
for museums and libraries has not. The museums and libraries we honor
today have developed innovative partnerships and programs for learners
of all ages, from babies to baby boomers to seniors.

Librarians at the Bozeman Public Library in Montana know that reading
to babies is critical, for -- so that babies develop their cognitive
skills. Through their Books and Babies program, babies are introduced
to books and language and parents learn the importance of reading to
young children.

Chuck Knighton from Bozeman has also learned that libraries can be a
great parenting partner. Chuck admits that he wasn't prepared to be
social director for a one-year-old when his wife went back to work. But
at the library, he can spend quality time with his son, Jack, and teach
him lessons that will last a lifetime. Chuck said, my hope is that Jack
and I can share adventures that will allow us to visit strange and
fantastic worlds and even attend the Hogwart School of Wizardry.
(Laughter.) And when Jack is ready to go to school, he'll find museums
and libraries at work in his classroom.

The U.S.S. Constitution Museum in Boston has created curriculum about
Old Ironsides for elementary and high school students across the
country. The curriculum includes an interactive video, activities
sheets, and lesson plans for teachers. Teachers from the Austin
Independent School District in Texas report that eighth graders who
studied the curriculum have improved their scores on the state
assessment test.

Museums and libraries play a vital role in teaching children about
their past but they also help prepare them for the future.
Thirteen-year-old Mareena Woodbury-Moore discovered that she loves
teaching, thanks to the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. Their
Science Explorers program prepares eighth graders for a career in
science with college preparatory classes and paid internships. Through
her internship, Mareena visits local schools and teaches younger
children about science. She especially liked conducting the experiment
that showed how to make vanilla ice cream. (Laughter.) Maybe because
they got to eat the results. (Laughter.) Mareena says this program has
taught her how fun science can be, and she learned through hands on
experiments instead of just through books.

In museums and libraries, young people like Mareena are learning new
and amazing things about science and literature, and about themselves.
They're discovering who they are and who they can become. Librarians at
the Free Library of Philadelphia inspired Khaleef Aye to attend
college. He joined the Free Library as a teen leadership assistant in
the Learn, Enjoy and Play After School program. In libraries across the
city, young people like Khaleef teach children about computers and help
them with their homework. Khaleef continues to volunteer at the library
and he will graduate from college next year.

Even though she's years away from college, eight year old Ashley
Gonzales wants to be a famous painter some day. She may want to be a
doctor, too, but an artist first. Ashley developed her love of painting
in the Arts for Kids program sponsored by the San Angelo Museum of Fine
Arts and the San Angelo Boys and Girls Club. Painting at the museum
once a week has improved Ashley's self-confidence and she's doing
better in school. Ashley's favorite things to paint are flowers and
her rabbit, Scooter. All of us hope we'll see an original Ashley
Gonzales in a museum some day.

As museums and libraries help prepare a new generation of learners,
they remind us that we're never too old to learn something new. To
preserve the rich history of Marlinton, West Virginia, the Pocahontas
County Free Libraries created a heritage room for local history and
genealogy research. With the help of lifetime residents like Jane Price
Sharp, the libraries also sponsor a number of initiatives including a
veterans oral history project. Jane is a vital part of the history of
Pocahontas County. She promotes the importance of libraries and
lifelong learning through the Pocahontas Times, which her family has
owned since 1892.

Nearly every resident of Pocahontas reads the Times and even at age
84, Jane is still at work six days a week. Jane said, the library is
the center of our lives. It helps people learn, and you can never learn
too much.

Thanks to the museums and libraries we honor today, Americans of all
ages are discovering the greatest lesson of all, and that is learning
is lifelong.

Now I'm going to introduce our very esteemed Dr. Bob Martin, who is
the director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Dr.
Martin has been instrumental in helping advance the mission of
America's museums and libraries and he strengthened their ability to
remain vibrant repositories of life and learning.

I've been told that he spends so much time in libraries and museums,
he was once mistaken as part of an exhibit. (Laughter.) Ladies and
gentlemen, Dr. Robert Martin. (Applause.)

* * * * *

MRS. BUSH: Congratulations again to all the winners of the national
awards for museum and library service. And thank you for your really
great work in your communities, for your communities, the people of
your communities and for our country. Thank you a lot.

President James Madison said, what spectacle could be more edifying or
more seasonable than that of liberty of learning, each leaning against
the other for their mutual and surest support. America's museums and
libraries will forever support the principles that make our country
strong and free and they will continue to light the way to liberty and
learning for generations to come.

Thank you all so much for being here. And congratulations again to our
award winners. And now if you'll join me in the dining room for the
reception. (Applause.)